Case Study: Mega-Issues with the American Dental Hygienists Association

Issue: A bylaws revision was needed to modernize ADHA. Efforts in the past had failed and they knew they needed a process that would increase trust, breakdown silos and create buy-in and ownership of the revision

Solution: Using TI’s mega-issue process, they worked with the House of Delegates to build a shared knowledge base, identify choices the organization could make and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Outcome: The discussion led to a bylaws revision that moved forward smoothly. But it wasn’t the only outcome. The process also:

Improved the board/staff partnership

Marginalized a small but vocal group of members adverse to change

Clarified the roles and responsibilities of the House of Delegates and Board of Directors

Created process to hold strategic conversations and gain consensus while respecting differing opinions

From the client: We would recommend any organization facing big issues engage Tecker International. They have helped to contemporize ADHA and given us a process to take contentious issues and make decisions in an equitable way. We have enough experience to conduct the process ourselves, but, TI consultants bring a neutral voice and an important external perspective. Having outside support to facilitate the process also allows the staff to participate in the process as part of the team.

Case Study: Program Assessment with the Association of School Business Officials International

Issue: ASBO was providing numerous programs and services for their members – some high performing and some “sacred cows.” They needed an objective process to figure out which ones were providing the best return on investment.

Solution: Working with TI and using its program assessment tools, ASBO was able to work with the board and staff to review the programs in terms of attractiveness, competitive position and alternative coverage. Based on the review, a matrix was created to identify the right future strategy for each program.

Outcome: ASBO was able to aggressively divest from some programs and services that were taking up resources but not helping them achieve their goals. This allowed them to re-invest resources in programs and services that were more in line with their strategic direction.

From the client: The best part about working with TI was the relationship of trust we had not only our consultant but the entire practice. They know us, we know them and we are comfortable having candid conversations. We can express our concerns, know they are heard and also know that the process will still be objective and fair. TI is very customer-focused before, after and during the sessions. They are a group of people who have the knowledge to back each other up. We know when we need someone, there will always be someone available and they have never let us down.

Case Study: Board Development with the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives

Issue: The Board of Trustees of CHIME had long been an operational board, spending the majority of their time on the day-to-day operations of the organization. They had a strong desire to evolve into a strategic and visionary board.

Solution: Working with the board, TI was able to identify three key issues they needed to address to move forward: building shared knowledge, providing validation of their desire to be a strategic board and effectively addressing strategic issues as a board. They learned to make knowledge based decisions, address mega-issues and prioritize their decision-making.

Outcome: With shared knowledge and consensus of what it means to be a strategic board, change moved quickly at CHIME. They agreed the CEO would be responsible for operations while they focused on strategy. They developed performance measures which allowed the board to monitor the operations. They used human resources more wisely and were able to improve performance in all areas.

From the client: We benefited from TI’s active engagement by challenging and improving our board practices. While we already viewed ourselves as a high performing board, the open dialogue resulted in even more transparent and effective governance.

Case Study: Rebranding with the Professional Insurance Marketing Association

Issue: Facing rapid changes in their environment affecting both the profession and the industry, PIMA wanted to re-brand to respond to the changes, strengthen its position in their marketplace and brand position members and PIMA for future success.

Solution: TI knows branding isn’t about your logo or about what you tell people you are. Your brand is the reputation based on the experience people have with your organization. TI worked with PIMA to define what the future success of the organization would look like and identify the steps to get there. It started with board development, organization assessment and then a brand and marketing campaign. Leaders engaged in a series of interactive exercises designed to create meaningful discussions and challenge the board to have difficult but necessary conversations to reach consensus.

Outcome: PIMA developed a new vision statement/tag line, new brand position statement, new guiding principles and a new logo. The roll out started internally with members and then externally to the general public. PIMA picked up new prospects that responded favorably to the new brand statement.

From the client: Working with Tecker is the most cost-efficient, high-value experience I’ve had in my career. For what they charge and what you get, I think TI under-charges. For smaller associations, the value in what you get by working with Tecker goes way beyond its price.

Case Study: Strategic Planning with the Association of Marketing Service Providers

Issue: The drop in mail volume and the financial situation of the US Postal Service created an over-supply and under-demand of mail and fulfillment services which was effecting the members of AMSP. The landscape didn’t look promising and the association knew they needed to make some strategic decisions about its future.

Solution: With AMSP, TI spent extra time and effort on defining their envisioned future which conveyed a yet unrealized vision for the organization. After defining what the future could look like as a result of the work of AMSP, the process flowed smoothly into new goals for the organization. The group then worked on defining objectives and strategies and prioritizing the work of the association.

Outcome: The final results included a new name, new focus, new strategic plan, and a new process for thinking and planning strategically. Central to TI’s approach, members were involved in the process and communication was robust. When the plans were brought to a vote of the membership, only two members objected. AMSP confidently continues to address the needs, wants and preferences of its stakeholders.

From the client: TI had the right tools. But the real success was a combination of the tools and the consultant’s efforts to understand and gain knowledge about AMSP. It allowed TI to match the tools with what we needed most. The research conducted prior to the sessions ensured no time was wasted. A culture of trust was quickly established based on the credibility, knowledge and experience of our consultant.